


Stay With Me

by RendTheStars



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: A gentleman but an idiot, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon compliant-ish, Childhood Friends, Childhood Memories, Come to think of it everyone in this needs a hug really, Emotional Repression, Especially Raihan, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, He knows what he's doing, Hop is a Little Shit, Hurt/Comfort, Jealousy, Leon is a Gentleman, Love Confessions, Love Triangles, Minor Character Death, Mutual Pining, Not Actually Unrequited Love, POV Third Person, Reader Needs a Hug, Reunions, Slow Burn, childhood crushes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-17
Updated: 2020-02-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:08:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22288390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RendTheStars/pseuds/RendTheStars
Summary: Tori returns to Galar to stay after being gone for the better part of three years, hoping that the ashes of her past have finally settled. Her childhood friends Leon and Raihan both have different ideas.Author’s Note: I wrote this with an X Reader kind of vibe in mind, but I haven’t written anything other than third person POV since like 5th grade, so I’m sticking with that format. Reader’s name is Tori and she uses female pronouns and has female sex characteristics. Other than that, I leave her appearance totally ambiguous so readers can put themselves in her place. Enjoy!
Relationships: Dande | Leon/Original Female Character(s), Dande | Leon/Reader, Kibana | Raihan/Original Female Character(s), Kibana | Raihan/Reader, Rurina | Nessa/Sonia
Comments: 55
Kudos: 228





	1. The Reunion (Part 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first attempt at a chaptered fic so we'll see where this goes. Will probably update every Friday or so. Hope you guys like it!

Despite what she’d feared, it wasn’t strange to be back.

Postwick hadn’t changed in the slightest. It was still quiet, still lazy, and the herds of Wooloo bustling about were still pretty much the only source of action the place could boast.

Tori liked it that way, though.

As she made her way down the dirt path of Route 1 to her childhood home, she glanced out at the sprawling hills and tried to recall all the days she had spent playing on those very hills as a kid. It wasn’t hard; she could still so easily picture Leon and herself up on the nearest one, racing each other to the top only to tumble back down, both breathless with childish laughter.

And then, a little ways in the distance, would be Raihan, running as fast as his legs could carry him to join the pair in the fields.

Shaking the sudden memory away, the trainer tightened her grip on her suitcase and walked up the path to her childhood home.

It had been a long time since she’d been here, and somehow it felt even longer. After her mother had passed away, Tori had never returned to her old home, staying in Wedgehurst only as long as the funeral lasted before climbing on her Hydreigon and flying back to Unova —where she had been in the middle of completing the gym challenge before she’d received the news of her mother’s heart attack.

It wasn’t as if she harbored any ill will towards her late mother. In reality, she and Tori had been quite close, which, looking back, was a big reason why she had left Galar so quickly the second time —after the funeral was over with and there was no longer an incentive for her to stay.

It was also one of the reasons why she found it somewhat difficult to be back now. With her mother gone, would things not feel the same here? Sure, Postwick felt the same, but would her actual home?

Would she turn tail and leave Galar behind for a third time?

Taking in a slow breath, Tori knelt down to retrieve the spare key underneath one of the rocks by the door, only to find loose soil —and, more importantly, no key— underneath.

Perplexed, she then fumbled with her keychain to make sure she’d never accidentally taken the spare for herself. Unlikely, since in the past she’d just assumed that her mom would always be there to open the door for her, or for at least a great many more years to come. But no, she’d passed at the young age of forty-three, and so here Tori was, struggling to even find the key to get into her own house.

With a sigh, she briefly wondered if this was a sign from the universe to just leave the past in the past for good. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t humored the thought herself at least once since arriving here. But when she tried the doorknob as a last-ditch, half-hearted effort, the door swung right open.

 _Huh,_ she thought. _Well, right back at you, universe._

Walking around the kitchen and living room was easy enough. There were really no bad memories attached to this place, but even the good ones hurt a little as well, now that she was alone. Still, Tori was dealing with the whole thing better than she thought she would (she was _here_ , after all), and even as she made her way to her old bedroom, she remained in a state of relative ease.

At least until she saw the purple hair.

Then she screamed.

Leon’s mother swirled around and shouted as well, dropping the dustpan in her hands and scattering the contents all over them, causing their screams to be cut off prematurely by hacking coughs.

“What,” Tori sputtered after a second, still slightly choking on the dust in the air. “What are you _doing_ here, Violet?”

“C-Cleaning,” the older woman replied, clutching at her chest and wheezing one last time. “Goodness, dear, you gave me a fright. I wasn’t expecting to see you here. Not after —well, not after you last left.”

The two paused for another moment to fully compose themselves, and then Violet glanced over the younger woman.

“Oh, Tori, you look tired,” she said gently, calmer now that the shock of the moment was wearing off. “Have you slept recently?”

Tori couldn’t help but smile at how quickly Violet’s motherly instincts had kicked in. “Yeah,” she replied. “It’s just a little weird being back, is all. I only got here about an hour ago.”

Violet clapped her hands together suddenly. “Let me go make you some tea, then.”

“Uh, you don’t have to—”

No amount of protesting could get the older woman to change her mind, though. So, defeated, Tori sat on the living room couch while her childhood friend’s mother prepared some tea for them.

“So how long have you been cleaning things up around here?” Tori asked as Violet poured the drink into her awaiting cup.

“Hm…” Violet paused to think for a second. “I’ve been doing this ever since your mother passed, so about a year now, I’d say.”

Tori simply nodded, taking a sip of the tea. It was pleasantly warm and helped to soothe her aching throat, especially after inhaling all of that dust and nearly coughing up a lung as a result.

“Oh,” Violet said, her face suddenly falling. “How rude of me. I’m so sorry I never asked for your permission first, Tori. It is your house, now. It’s just… I hated the idea of letting your mother's things go to the wayside, and you disappeared so quickly after the funeral…”

“It’s okay! Really,” Tori soothed. “I actually appreciate you doing all of this very much. You didn’t have to.” She took another sip of her drink, choosing her words carefully. “I’m planning on staying here now, though, so you don’t have to worry yourself over this anymore. I’ll be fine taking care of things around here on my own now.”

“You’re staying?” Violet placed her cup on the coffee table and laid a hand on Tori’s knee. “Oh, sweetie, I’m so happy for you! Leon’s been talking about you nonstop ever since you left. I know he’ll be thrilled to see you again!”

Tori glanced into her cup, trying to keep her tone neutral. “How is he? Leon?”

“He’s doing marvelous!” Violet beamed. “He’s still the Champion of Galar, you know.”

Tori smiled. Of course, she knew. Becoming the Champion was everything Leon had ever wanted, and everything he deserved. He’d fought so hard that it was no wonder he’d managed to claim the title when he was just ten years old. And, furthermore, it was no wonder that he remained undefeated to this day.

“I imagine he’s in Wyndon City right about now, facing a challenger,” Tori mused.

“He’s in Wyndon City, alright, but I’m afraid you missed the battle, dear. This morning, he beat Raihan for the tenth time.”

Tori nearly did a double-take at the name, but Violet continued, oblivious in her bubble of pride for her son. “He’s even coming back home tomorrow! Well, assuming he doesn’t get lost along the way, that is,” she laughed. “That's my boy for you.”

Tori placed her cup down so as not to risk spilling it; her hands had gotten slightly shaky by the time Violet had finished speaking.

“Tomorrow?” she asked meekly.

The older woman nodded. “With his title once again defended, Leon’s coming to celebrate! He’s even promised Hop a gift. He’s always been so thoughtful, my son. Thoughtful but scatterbrained. Oh!” Violet clapped her hands unexpectedly for the second time that day as something crossed her mind, and Tori was grateful she had put her cup down. “You’ll join us, won’t you, Tori? Leon’s been dying to see you. It’ll make his whole day to have you at his victory party.”

Tori hesitated. She hadn’t anticipated this season’s gym challenge being over already. In fact, she’d initially thought she’d at least have another week or two to get settled before she’d have to see Leon again. But now it seemed that she was going to see him far sooner than expected. Tomorrow, even, assuming the man actually found his way here.

She could refuse, make up some kind of excuse about needing rest after the flight home. But Violet was looking at her with such hopeful, pleading eyes, and… and deep down, Tori _did_ want to see Leon.

“Of course I’ll come,” she found herself promising.

Waiting, Tori discovered, was almost worse than working up the courage to come home in the first place. She wasn’t bored —couldn’t really be, what with Hop chatting her ear off and bombarding her with question after question about her travels. It was the nerves; the thought of seeing Leon again after all these years had her on edge. It was as if she was taking a step with a blindfold on, with no idea of whether or not she was about to walk right off a giant cliff.

How would he react to seeing her again? Would he be angry? Upset?

 _He’ll definitely be shocked_ , she thought with an internal groan. Violet had made it abundantly clear to everyone in the house that Tori’s presence was a secret —she was to be a complete surprise for Leon.

Oh, she would be a surprise, alright.

Warning Leon in advance would probably be the kindest thing to do, but how was she supposed to do that without making it sound horrible?

“ _Oh, hey, Leon. So glad you picked up. Listen, it’s me, Tori —yeah, the girl who was your best friend for like fifteen years before ditching you and the entire region for seemingly no reason whatsoever. Sorry about that. Anyways, look, your mom has got me in a really tight spot, and I was wondering if maybe you could pretend to be surprised when you find out I’ve crashed your party. Oh, yeah, did I mention I’m back in Galar now? Cheers_!”

This time, Tori outwardly groaned.

“Hey, you okay?” Hop asked from beside her on the couch. “I’ll quit bugging you if that’s what’s wrong.”

“No, no, Hop. You’re fine,” Tori assured him.

“So it’s Leon, then?” the boy asked. The trainer glanced at him quickly in alarm, but not quickly enough. Hop was already off the couch and scurrying away before she could scold him, snickering to himself as he went. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

That kid was perceptive as hell, especially considering who his brother was.

“He’s here!” Hop suddenly called from one of the windows, causing Tori to nervously rise to her feet without really knowing where she intended to go. As Hop ran out to greet his older brother, their mother hurried into the living room and grabbed Tori by the arm.

“It’s a miracle he actually made it here on time,” she mumbled, mostly to herself. “C’mon, sweetie. Leon’s coming.”

“Uh,” Tori said, following Violet up the stairs on autopilot. “Where are we going?”

Violet paused in front of Leon’s room to open the door.

Oh.

Oh no.

“I’m not sure—”

“Oh, Leon won’t mind! You’ve been in his room hundreds of times before, back when you two were younger.”

That was definitely not the point Tori was going to make, but the door was already shut with her inside before she could try again.

Great. Now this reunion was going to be tense _and_ awkward.

Tori was about to sigh for the umpteenth time but a strange sense of resignation stopped her. This was happening. There was no way around seeing Leon like this —unless she climbed out of a window or something, which did have its appeal, but then she’d have to apologize to Violet a ton, and she already owed the woman for looking after her house for a whole year.

Still, this was a bit much. She hadn’t been in Leon’s room since… Arceus, at least since they were sixteen. The thought crossed her mind that it had probably changed a lot since then.

Daring to look around, Tori immediately wished she hadn’t. Where she had managed to get by in her own place without being bombarded with too many unwanted memories, Leon’s room practically hit her like a brick to the face. They had spent so many hours in his room as kids, playing with his collection of cards or poring over his many volumes of battle strategies. Even as a young boy, Leon had always known what he wanted in life, something Tori had always envied in him.

Maybe that was why she had always been drawn to him. When it came to most things, Leon was as clueless as a Slowpoke, but he had his head on straight about the things that really mattered, and he stuck to his goals no matter what.

A picture on his bedside table caught Tori’s gaze, and she stepped forward to inspect it. Her face flushed as she recalled the memory this photo had captured. It showed Leon and her hugging after his fifth victory as Champion. Both of them were beaming, particularly Leon, and Tori remembered how warm he had felt so close to her. She may not have even participated in that particular battle, but at that moment, she remembered feeling victorious.

And, standing off to the side, not portrayed in the picture, had been Raihan, she recalled. He had been the one to lose the battle.

The sound of multiple footsteps heading up the stairs caused Tori to jolt out of her train of thought. She quickly stepped away from Leon's bed.

“—gonna be so happy, Lee. I can’t wait to see your face!”

 _I can wait_ , Tori thought dryly, trying to keep her heart from pounding out of her chest.

Over the frantic beating of her pulse, she heard an all-too-familiar voice that only increased her anxiety. “Mum, I hope you didn’t spend any money on me. I told you that you don’t have to worry about that kinda thing anymore…”

“Don’t fret, sweetheart! This particular gift was absolutely free, and she came here just to see you.”

“She?”

And then the door was opening, and Tori didn’t have time to think of how unprepared she was for this because Leon’s golden eyes fell on hers instantly and pinned her to the spot, dissolving any train of thought she had. He seemed to freeze as well, and so the only thing spoken was a loud “SURPRISE!” by Hop and his mother in unison, which bounced off the walls as ineffectively as one could imagine given that Leon was quite clearly already in complete shock.

“Surprise,” Tori managed, a few seconds too late and missing at least half the cheerfulness of his mother and brother. She was going to add something else —an apology, a joke… maybe both in a single sentence, but before she could find the words, she found herself pressed against Leon’s chest as he pulled her into a tight embrace.

Her first thought was that he’d gotten taller. Her second thought was that he smelled nice. Her third thought was nonexistent because, at that point, reality had caught up with her, and she was rendered frozen once more.

“Tori! You’re…!” Tori grunted as she was lifted a few inches off the ground by Leon. “You’re back!” She was almost afraid to, but when she looked up into those familiar eyes, all she saw was joy and… something else. Something soft. Relief flooded through her, and she released the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.

Leon wasn’t mad at her.

“I missed you so much,” the Champion continued, and now Tori had to look away or risk him noticing the flush quickly rising to her cheeks. “How have you been? _Where_ have you been? There’s so much we need to catch up on!”

“I haven’t been up to much, really,” she laughed quietly. Leon finally placed her back on the floor but kept his hands on her waist, and Tori was very, very aware of that in the moment. She prayed neither Hop nor Violet noticed, or she might have to escape through a window after all. “Just traveling. I’ve been to a few different regions now.”

Leon beamed. He seemed so happy that Tori couldn’t help but wonder why’d she’d been worried about seeing him in the first place. Of course he would never hold a grudge. That wasn’t who he was.

Even if maybe a grudge would be justified in this case.

“I want to know all about it. And Hydreigon —how’s he?”

Tori grinned. “He’s doing great. Still growing, actually.” She blinked as she suddenly felt the dragon’s pokéball shift in her bag, antsy for release at the mention of his name. Both Leon and Tori looked down at her bag and chuckled. “And now it seems he wants to come out and see you.”

“Let him!” Hop exclaimed from the doorway, bouncing on the tips of his toes in excitement. “You and Leon can have a Pokémon battle!”

Leon’s eyes lit up at the challenge, but Tori wasn’t so convinced. Her chances of winning were pretty much zero, after all. Thankfully, Violet saved her from having to decide with a simple shake of her head.

“Not now, sweetie. Let’s all have lunch first before we go starting any battles.”

“Sounds good to me!” Hop replied, and Leon and Tori both nodded in agreement. Finally, the Champion let go of Tori completely. But he stayed close to her during the walk down the stairs, as they filled their plates with the curry Violet had made, and even as they stepped outside to have their meal in the sunshine.

And the whole time, Tori tried in vain to keep herself from noticing.

The meal was filled with chatter but in a cozy, relaxing sort of way.

Tori and Leon were sat against the tree near the edge of the yard, watching Hydreigon and Charizard play together while Hop chased after them in a constant state of awe and glee.

“So, you’re back for good, right?” Leon asked her suddenly, drawing her attention away from the Pokémon.

“Uh, yeah. At least, I’m pretty sure,” Tori said.

“Well, I hope you choose to stay.” Leon lowered his gaze to the grass between their hands. He seemed to be somewhat nervous, even though he was clearly trying to keep his words smooth and casual. “I really missed you.”

“I missed you, too, Leon.” _Danger, danger_ , her mind screamed at her. When he looked as if he was about to say something else, she rambled on, “You’ve gotten taller since I last saw you, you know. And your hair is longer. Also, I see you finally managed to grow a beard.” Leon chuckled and opened his mouth again. “But even with all this change, you still haven’t learned how to dress.”

The Champion looked taken aback. “What…? Are you saying I don’t have a fashion sense?”

She ran an appraising eye over his sneakers, white tights, shorts, t-shirt, cape, and cap. “Leon, you dress like a seven-year old whose mom let them choose what they got to wear for a day.’”

There was a pause, and then they both started laughing.

“That was mean,” Leon said after they finally started to regain their breaths. “That was really, really mean.”

“I know,” Tori said. “I’m sorry.”

“No, you’re not.”

“You’re right. I’m not.”

They both chuckled lightly once more, and then silence drifted between them. It was a comfortable silence, though, and Tori allowed herself to close her eyes for just a little while and imagine what it would be like to be frozen in this moment forever. Peaceful, she would think.

But then Leon sighed, and she looked up at him in confusion. His golden eyes didn’t have that cheerful light to them anymore.

“It wasn’t me, was it?”

“What do you mean?” she asked, ease giving way to dread. _Don’t. Please don’t._

“Did you leave because of me?”

It was the exact question she’d feared, and, in a way, Tori got her wish. Time seemed to freeze for a moment, but it wasn’t peaceful. Leon looked so sad, even with his face lowered and partially hidden beneath his hat.

“Leon…” she whispered. “Leon, I—”

“Uh, guys?” Hop called out to them. “Are these two supposed to be doing this?”

Leon and Tori both looked up in time to see Hydreigon and Charizard growling at each other, and definitely not in a playful way. It had only been a matter of time, really. Dragon-types were moody at best, and —as much as Tori loved him— Hydreigon could be _very_ moody. So, she wasn’t surprised to discover that he was the one being the main aggressor in the fight, and with a sigh, she rose to her feet and returned him to his ball.

“Sorry about that,” Tori apologized, but Leon just smiled softly as he did the same to his Charizard.

“It’s not your fault.”

There was another pause, and then she suddenly remembered something. “Leon, did you ever give Hop that gift your mom told me about?”

The Champion blinked and then smacked his forehead. “Ah, I almost forgot!”

“Gift?” Hop was suddenly right beside the two, grinning wildly from ear to ear.

“Yes! Be right back!”

The gift turned out to be in the form of three Pokémon: Grookey, Scorbunny, and Sobble. Tori had heard of those three before; apparently, they were quite rare.

She thought it was sweet of Leon to go out of his way to make sure that his little brother started out his journey with a good partner. With a tentative smile returning to her lips, she watched as Hop hovered over his three choices, trying to determine based on the books which one was superior to the others.

“Remember, just one, little bro,” Leon reminded gently. “Then Tori gets to choose, and I’ll take whichever one is left.”

Tori looked up at him in surprise. “You sure?”

“Of course,” the Champion replied, shooting her one of his famous grins. “Think of it as a welcome back gift.”

Hop eventually chose Grookey, and then it was Tori’s turn to pick. As she eyed the Scorbunny darting around energetically in the grass and the Sobble that was apparently trying to make itself invisible in a nearby puddle, she knew which one she wanted. Walking up to the edge of the water, the trainer crouched down until she was close to Sobble and then held out her hand.

“Hey, there, little guy. It’s alright,” she soothed after the tiny water Pokémon flinched away and started looking on the verge of tears. “I promise I’m not gonna hurt you. Wanna come along with me?”

The Sobble stared up at her with wide, teary blue eyes and then nodded, crawling out of the water and into Tori’s awaiting hand. She smiled, pleased that the small creature already seemed to trust her, and hugged him gently to her chest.

She turned around to see Leon already bonding with Scorbunny. The sight ignited a warm feeling somewhere in her chest.

“I know! Let’s all have a battle!” Hop said. “I call battling Leon first!”

It was a fun battle to watch, but a short one. Leon had the type advantage, and even if he was going easy on his little brother, which Tori suspected he was, he still mopped the floor with him.

When it came time for Leon and Tori to battle, however, the tables were turned. Tori had the type advantage, and Leon’s Scorbunny was already injured from the previous battle —which wasn’t exactly fair, but the Champion of Galar took it in stride. He commanded his new Pokémon with such skill and confidence that, for a while, Tori worried that she would still manage to lose despite everything working in her favor.

But no, one last well-placed shot of water from Sobble won the battle, and Tori made sure to praise the little guy afterwards —especially since he too seemed surprised that he’d won in the first place.

As she hugged her newfound friend, Leon walked up to her with a huge smile.

“You’re an even better trainer than when we last battled,” he complimented warmly. “You should be proud.”

“Me?” Tori laughed. “Leon, you nearly beat me despite the type advantage and the fact that Scorbunny was already hurt before our battle. You’ve gotten stronger yourself, and that’s actually saying something since you’re the Champion, and you’ve always been amazing.”

A faint blush formed on Leon’s cheeks at her words, which only deepened when he glanced somewhere behind Tori at his younger brother. She turned around just in time to see the boy watching them with an amused and knowing smile on his face, and then he dealt the final blow —all without a shred of compassion in those gleeful eyes— by saying, “C’mon, Grookey. I think we should give these two lovebirds some privacy.”

_Hop, why?_

“Actually…” Tori mumbled immediately after the kid left, not even daring to look up from the ground to see Leon’s face. “It’s getting a little late. I should probably be going.”

“Okay,” Leon said quietly. “Is it… Would it be alright if I walked you home?”

She nodded.

The walk back was a quick one —Tori basically lived less than a minute away— but it had meaning to it. There was so much unspoken between the two as they drew upon Tori’s home that it felt like, in some way, the walk home had been an acknowledgment of all that.

By the time they reached the doorstep, Leon was harboring an unreadable expression.

“Tori, I don’t know how to say this, but…” the Champion sighed. “I’m so sorry about your mother. Truly I am.”

Tori released a shaky breath that was dangerously close to a laugh. It was almost funny because she was actually relieved that this was about her dead mother rather than the beginning of a confession from him. 

“It’s okay, Leon. Really. I’m doing alright now.”

He nodded, his expression still soft. “I’m glad. Because it really is nice to have you back.”

“Yeah,” she agreed. Then, without really thinking, blurted, “We should do something tomorrow. I-If you have time, and if you want to, that is.”

Suddenly that bright, sunshine smile was back. “I’d love that! When are you available?”

“Uh, whenever,” Tori said, not really realizing until it was too late how lame that might sound.

Leon didn’t seem to care, however, nodding happily at her words. “Great! I’ll come pick you up at nine, then. Be sure to be awake! Or else you’ll miss having an absolutely _champion_ time with me!”

Ugh. There it was. Leon was officially back to being Leon. After he had left and Tori had her front door closed behind her, she looked down at the Sobble half-asleep in her arms and sighed wearily.

“Have I just made a huge mistake?”

Sobble merely opened one drowsy eye at her and smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you guys have any thoughts you'd like to share or maybe some suggestions, let me know! Also, yes, Hop and his mom are trying to hook Leon up with Tori, lol. They be plotting. I also forgot to mention that I took the liberty to name Leon’s mom Violet. Cuz, you know... the purple hair and all? I swear I put effort into this fic. I swear


	2. The Reunion (Part 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wooooo boy technically it's still Friday so this counts as on time right?? im so sorry im a failure ;-;

“Be nice, you two.”

The squabbling between Sobble and Hydreigon was quickly growing unbearable, and Tori sighed, placing down the brush she had been combing her hair with and turning to see the little water Pokémon whining and struggling as Hydreigon impishly dangled him by his tail.

“Hydreigon!” his trainer scolded him as she pulled the younger Pokémon away. “You know better than to do that.”

The dragon only groaned deeply and plopped his center head on her shoulder, looking into her eyes as if to say, “ _You ruined the fun, mom._ ”

She shook her head at him and continued brushing her hair with her one free hand, using the other to keep Sobble out of his reach.

“Sobble is your little brother now, so you have to treat him nicely, or else I’m going to have to return you to your pokéball like last time —which, by the way, we’re still going to have a conversation about. You were very rude to Leon’s Charizard, and you had no reason to be.”

This time Hydreigon groaned even louder and pulled away from her, moving to plop on her bed and sulk in the corner while she finished getting ready. Tori couldn’t help but crack a smile. He was nearly bigger than the bed now, which was a huge contrast to when she’d first brought him here as a baby Deino, only a few days out of his egg. He’d been so tiny then, but, Arceus, could he bite! That was the one thing about him that had stayed the same throughout the years —his attitude.

She sat beside the dragon as she pulled on her boots. “C’mon, big guy. You get like this every time we add a new member to our team. I’m sure Sobble would be a great friend to you if you let him.”

Hydreigon snorted.

“I’m serious!”

Someone knocking on the door saved Hydreigon from a full-blown intervention. Tori stood up from her bed and glanced at the clock on the wall. Yep, that was definitely Leon.

Quickly grabbing her jacket, the trainer paused in the doorway of her room to glance back at Hydreigon, who still had his back turned to her.

“I’m leaving,” she explained patiently —always patiently. One couldn’t have a Hydreigon and _not_ be patient. “You can either get in your pokéball or stay here and sulk.”

Her first Pokémon grumbled and buried all three of his heads under her pillows.

Tori resisted the urge to roll her eyes and just walked away, muttering to Sobble on her shoulder as she went. “Somehow, I think that big dragon’s got you beat on the whole ‘baby Pokémon’ thing.”

When she opened the door, there was Leon (fuck, she still hadn’t gotten used to the height difference, or even just seeing him again in general), and Tori couldn’t help but blink stupidly when he immediately gave her that winning grin of his.

“Hey! You ready to go?”

“Uh, yeah,” she replied slowly, not really sure where they were even intended to go. When she asked, the Champion simply looked back at her and winked, leaving her too flustered to try to press for more.

They kept up a light conversation as they walked, mostly about their mornings and how they’d slept the night before. Apparently, Hop hadn’t even been able to sleep because he was so excited about his new Pokémon and the fact that his brother was back home. That little piece Leon shared made Tori laugh, since she knew she should have guessed that would be the case, knowing Hop.

It was all very peaceful until they made their way down Route 1, and Tori took notice of the large crowd in the distance.

Evidently, _everyone_ was infatuated by Leon.

“How did they…?” she began.

Leon offered her an apologetic look. “They knew it was only a matter of time before I’d come back this way.”

“So they _waited_?” Tori was more annoyed than surprised. She knew Leon had amassed a huge following as Galar’s undefeated Champion, but still, she didn’t know it was this bad.

Great. The last thing she’d wanted from coming back here was attention. Now, she was going to get a ton regardless.

As they drew upon the cheering crowd, Tori shrunk closer to Leon, which she quickly realized had been a mistake, since that action caused the people waiting to immediately pick up on her presence.

“Leon, who is that with you?”

“Who is she?”

“You never told us you had a girlfriend!”

“No fair!”

“Leon, what’s her name?”

Arceus. Tori felt her face burning from all the eyes on her —hell, some people were even glaring. Most of them just seemed to be extremely intrigued, though. Either way, Tori wanted absolutely none of it, so she fastened a death-grip on Leon’s shirt and hoped he understood.

He did.

Pulling Tori closer to him to the point where she was nearly completely concealed by his cape, the Champion of Galar walked briskly past the crowd, giving them polite nods and waves but little more. By the time they reached the entrance to the station, Tori was nearly breathless with relief. Leon ushered her in and then turned back to the people gathered behind them. Suddenly they erupted into cheers once more, and Tori didn’t have to look to know that he had just struck his famous Charizard Pose.

And then he was back by her side, walking with her to take the train somewhere, anywhere. Tori didn’t care. As long as they were away from _that_.

Only when they were finally seated and speeding away from Wedgehurst did Tori finally breathe —a big, sudden exhale. Leon looked at her with golden eyes filled with concern.

“You okay?” He asked gently, reaching over the table for her hand but thinking better of it midway. He slowly pulled it back. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think the crowd would bother you that much. If I had known, I would have called a flying taxi.”

“I’m okay,” Tori said, refusing to meet his gaze. “And I’m fine with crowds, just not crowds that look like they want to jump on me for just walking next to you.”

“I wouldn’t have let…” he trailed off when she shook her head.

“I know, Leon. I don’t blame you. I just don’t want them to get the wrong impression or anything,” she ended quickly.

He was quiet for a moment. “Right.”

Tori cleared her throat and finally looked up at him. “So, do I get to know where we’re going now? Or is it still a surprise?”

Leon smiled. “It’s still a surprise.”

She nodded, wracking her brain for possible locations he’d want them to visit. It might be Wyndon City —that place was full of things to do, and Leon presumably spent most of his time there as Champion anyway. Or maybe Hammerlocke; she loved Hammerlocke, especially because of the incredible architecture and the nice people there. Particularly _one_ nice person. Her fingers picked nervously at the table.

“What are you thinking about?” Leon asked her suddenly, a hint of amusement in his voice, and Tori looked up at him in surprise, realizing that she had been lost in thought for quite a bit.

 _Raihan_ , but she couldn’t say that, so she settled with the next thing that came to mind. “Curry.”

He laughed lightly. “Hungry, are we? Did you not eat breakfast?”

Tori shook her head, slightly embarrassed. This was what she got for valuing sleep over food, apparently. That, and poor word-association.

“Alright, then. We can stop somewhere and eat along the way.”

Circhester was where they eventually ended up. Even though it was relatively early in the morning, as soon as the pair entered one of the restaurants there, people were back to crowding around Leon. Tori slipped away to grab them seats in a secluded corner, and eventually, Leon was able to rejoin her.

“Sorry,” he said again, looking like he meant it.

After the two had ordered and received their food, Tori dug in, finally taking notice of the empty feeling in her belly now that her nerves had calmed a bit. Leon ate as well, albeit slower than her, since he took a pause from his food every now and then to talk to her.

“So, what regions did you travel to while you were away?” he asked, taking a sip of his drink.

“Johto, Sinnoh, and Unova.”

“Awesome! And do you have a favorite?”

Tori thought for a moment. “Probably Unova. Rainbow Valley, in particular, was absolutely stunning.”

“Rainbow Valley?”

Tori nodded and was going to explain, but just then, a young woman she didn’t recognize walked up to their table and snapped a quick photo of them before scurrying off.

She sighed.

“I’m—”

“Don’t, Leon,” she said, rubbing her temple. “It’s not your fault. If a fan wants a photo, they’ll find a way to get a photo.” The Champion still looked like he was going to try to work in an apology, so she cut him off, choosing to just forget about the incident and deal with the consequences later. Hopefully, Leon’s fans would be merciful and not blow this out of proportion. “Anyways, what have you been up to? I’m sure you’ve been a lot busier than me, given your current title.”

Leon chuckled. “Yeah, I’ve been a little busy. It’s not too bad, though. It’s allowed my team and me to grow. Hardly a day goes by without a challenger.”

“Well, that’s to be expected.” Tori smiled. “Everybody wants to be you.”

“That’s not true.”

“Mr. Leon!”

Tori looked over in exasperation at what she thought was another rude fan but turned out to be a very small child holding up a Charizard plushie for the Champion to see.

“Look, I’ve got a Charizard, too!” he exclaimed proudly, and Tori nearly melted at his childish voice.

“I see that!” Leon beamed. “Impressive! You must be a very strong trainer.”

“I am!” the kid agreed. “And someday I’ll be as strong as you!”

“I’m sure you will!”

After the child had left, Leon turned back to Tori and looked surprised to see the knowing smirk on her face.

“What?”

“What did I say about everyone wanting to be you?”

Leon down looked at the table and chuckled, brushing the whole thing off as humbly as she knew he would.

After they finished breakfast, the pair went to the train station once more and headed east, although Leon still wouldn’t say exactly where they were going. When they exited the station in Motostoke, Tori was still in the dark; she was even more confused when he led her out of the city and into the Wild Area.

“Leon, where…?”

He looked back at her and grinned. “Trust me.”

“Okay, but if you get us lost with your terrible sense of direction, I’m gonna be pissed.”

“I won’t, I won’t!” he insisted. “I’ve visited this spot multiple times to make sure I knew how to get there.”

“And how many times did you get lost while doing this?”

He didn’t answer, which left Tori wondering whether she should laugh or groan.

They made their way past the watchtower ruins to the dappled grove. The sun was at its zenith, making the shade provided by the trees a welcome reprieve.

As they walked in companionable silence through the forest, Leon suddenly veered to the right, with Tori following close behind until they finally came to a stop in the middle of a clearing. Here, he paused, and seemed to be taking in the surroundings.

“So, is this it, or is now the moment you tell me that you have no idea where we are?” she asked dryly.

He turned back to face her. “You don’t remember this place?”

Tori looked around briefly, trying to understand what he meant. Sure, she remembered lots about the Wild Area. It had been the main location where she’d trained her Pokémon for years, alongside Leon and Raihan. But this particular place?

“Um… no, I don’t think so,” she conceded.

Leon offered her a soft smile. “It’s where we both spent our first night away from home.”

Tori blinked, and suddenly it was all coming back to her. After Deino had finally hatched from his egg, Tori and Leon had rushed out on their own to explore the Wild Area. Her mom had made sure she and Leon had all the supplies they needed, and so when it became rather late, the two had decided to simply camp, choosing this secluded little section of the forest to spend the night.

She walked over to the left a ways. This was where her tent had been, and, not far to the right, had been Leon’s. Towards the center, they had lit a campfire with his Charmander’s help, and ended up falling asleep out there looking up at the stars, too caught up in conversation to want to tuck in for the night.

She looked back at Leon and knew that he understood exactly what she was thinking. His eyes were gentle as they followed her.

“I remember,” she said. “That was a wonderful night.”

“It was,” he agreed. “It’s one of my happiest memories.”

She looked to the grassy earth. “It was very simple back then, wasn’t it?”

That certain softness in his eyes returned, along with a look of pleading. “Why can’t it be simple now, Tori?”

She hesitated. She should never have spoken. “It just… can’t.”

Silence threatened to overcome them. Leon seemed at a loss for words, and very hurt. Tori hated herself for that, but there was little she could do. _Why couldn’t things be simple_? Hell, she’d asked herself that same question thousands of times after she’d left Galar to avoid destroying both of her friendships. She couldn’t — _wouldn’t_ — go through this again.

Not after the last time.

The silence between them was broken by a sudden phone call. Leon’s Rotom Phone hovered around him to reveal Sonia.

“Hey, Leon,” she greeted in that cheery voice of hers.

“Sonia!” Leon sounded surprised. “Hey.”

“Listen, I know you said you had something important to do today, but I think I’m on the verge of discovering something really crucial about the ability to dynamax Pokémon. I was wondering if, whenever you get a chance, you could catch some Pokémon for me? I’d really appreciate it!”

“I’d love to, Sonia, it’s just that I’m with—”

“Oh my gosh, is that Tori?” Sonia peered at her from the corner of the screen, and the Rotom Phone rotated to put Tori in full view. “It is! Hi, Tori! It’s been so long! How’ve you been?”

“I’ve been doing good,” Tori answered, simply relieved to have been saved from that dreadful moment. “And you?”

“Same here! Still using our Champion as a lab assistant, as you can see!” They both laughed. “But no. I totally get it. If you guys are on a date, then my research can wait for a little while.”

“It’s not a date,” Tori blurted out, that panic in her chest rising once more. “And I’d hate to get in the way of your research. Leon and I can both catch some Pokémon for you if you’d like.”

“Well, if you both don’t mind, that would be really helpful!” Sonia beamed. “Thanks, guys!”

As soon as Sonia hung up, Tori was moving away from the clearing, saying to Leon without looking back, “We’d better split up and get started. Knowing Sonia, she’ll want a bunch.”

They ended up spending the better half of the day catching Pokémon. The Wild Area provided more than was necessary, and so by the time they were finished, both Leon and Tori could each boast over a dozen caught.

“Think this will satisfy her?” the Champion asked as they made their way to Sonia’s lab from the Wedgehurst station.

“I’d like to see her try and say we didn’t do enough,” Tori laughed.

Turned out, Sonia was indeed satisfied, pulling them both into a big hug and telling them how much she’d missed seeing them together. She made Tori promise to meet up with her sometime and catch up, and she made Leon promise not to hog all of Tori’s attention.

After they finally left, the sun had already set, and the weariness from catching all those Pokémon was starting to settle in Tori’s limbs.

“I can walk you back,” Leon offered again, but this time she shook her head.

“It’s okay, Lee.” _Lee_? When had she started calling him Lee again? “It’s not far. Besides, from what Sonia said, I think it’s pretty clear you took a day off from your duties to spend the day with me.”

Even in the dark, Tori could see the flush that ran across his skin. “I just wanted to see you.”

“And I appreciate it, but I don’t want to be the thing that gets in the way of your actual job. I’m sure there’s a lot of people who need you now more than I do.” She nudged him gently with her shoulder. “Go on back to Wyndon City, Champion. I’m sure we’ll see each other again soon.”

He hesitated, but then nodded slowly. Now, it seemed, he couldn’t meet her gaze. “Goodbye, Tori.”

“Bye, Lee.”

Tori nearly collapsed in her bed when she got home, much to the indignation of Hydreigon, who had been dozing away on it all this time. She immediately pulled out her phone and began checking her feed, groaning when she saw all the attention the “mystery girl” was getting from Leon’s fanbase. Why, _why_ did this have to happen now? She’d just wanted to return to her home peacefully and quietly.

But when she received a sudden text message and checked to see what it was, her heart stopped right then and there, and she knew that peace and quiet were the last things that she was going to have in the near future.

_hey. been a while. when were you gonna tell me you were back in galar huh?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you guys think of the new chapter! Even tho I feel like I'm kicking a puppy every time I make Tori cold to Leon, I swear she's not evil lol. she has reasons that will be revealed later!! anyways really hope you guys liked it :)


	3. Consequences

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this is a little late guys! Still, I really enjoyed writing this so I hope you guys like it too!

It was a long night for Tori. She spent so much time pacing around her room with her phone in hand that Sobble eventually crawled over and started tugging on her pants, an indication that he was worried about her and wanted her to go to bed.

She hesitated, looking back at her screen at the text message she had been playing in her mind countless times since she first saw it, and decided that Raihan could wait for the night; her sleep (and sanity, for fuck’s sake) took priority.

But when she finally got in bed, Tori found that sleep was just as elusive as a good reply —his words still bounced around her head, refusing to let her rest, no matter how tightly she shut her eyes.

After what felt like forever, she finally managed to drift off. However, too soon, the sunlight was dipping through her windows, stirring her from her restless night of sleep and bringing about the day where she could no longer avoid responding. Tori groaned, rubbing a hand over her face. She checked her phone again and found that Leon had texted her, too, and not that long ago.

_Hey, Tori. I had a great time with you yesterday. I hope we can do something like that again soon! Also, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I had taken the day off to be with you. I just didn’t want you to cancel our plans since I was really excited to spend the day with you. Anyway, I’m back in Wyndon now, but please come visit me whenever you get the chance! I’ll be sure to show you another champion time!_

Tori thought for a moment, and then quickly replied:

_Hey, Lee! I really enjoyed spending time with you too. And it’s okay! I just don’t want to keep you to myself when all of galar wants and needs their champion :) I’m sure I’ll see you soon, on tv or otherwise!_

She sent it and then began steeling herself for the other text. Eventually, she reopened the chat from last night and read it over again.

_hey. been a while. when were you gonna tell me you were back in galar huh?_

It didn’t seem hostile. But then again, what did she know? Raihan might be absolutely pissed at her for having to find out through social media that she’d returned home, not to mention it being in the form of a picture of her and Leon. She closed her eyes for a moment and buried her face under one of Hydreigon’s wings. Then, before she could lose her nerve, she returned to her attention to her phone and began typing.

_Hi, Raihan! It has been a while. Hope you’re doing well. I only just got back the other day. Sorry for not talking to you sooner!!_

She loosed a breath as soon as she sent it and went right back to seeking comfort from the dragon Pokémon, who let out a soft rumble of contentment from her hug. It wasn’t long before she couldn’t remain still any longer, though, so Tori dragged herself out of her bed to go shower and hopefully clear her head.

By the time she finished, Raihan had already texted her back. She fumbled nervously with her towel as she read.

_its cool. we should catch up tho. you available anytime today?_

She inhaled slowly and began getting dressed.

Today.

He wanted to meet up today.

After finishing up her morning routine, Tori prepared some food for herself and her Pokémon. As they ate, she pondered over whether or not she should actually go through with this. Surely, Raihan wouldn’t push if she said that she wasn’t available, right? Then again, Raihan had always known her too well, and he definitely knew that Tori wasn’t the type of person to have much planned usually.

He’d see right through her, as always.

She stuffed the remainder of her toast in her mouth and began replying once more, fingers shaking slightly as she typed.

_Yeah, I’m available. How does 1 sound? Also, where did you have in mind?_

He responded a few minutes later.

_1 works. meet me in hammerlocke. you know the place_

As Tori read over his words, Raihan sent a parting winking face, and the blush she had been managing to withhold bloomed across her face.

“I’m an idiot,” she declared to her Pokémon, still happily munching away at their food. “I’m genuinely, undoubtedly, a fucking idiot.”

The Battle Café was as crowded as ever, filled with people battling or enjoying their well-earned treats after their victory. Tori glanced around nervously, keeping a tight grip on her bag with all her Pokémon, their mere presence offering a lot of support in this moment of pure trepidation.

She couldn’t spot Raihan anywhere, which was worrying to her because Raihan was a pretty tall guy. Maybe she had gotten the wrong place, after all? As she scanned the crowd intently, she sensed someone come up behind her.

“Sorry,” she mumbled, stepping aside even though she was technically already off to the side and not in the way at all. She froze, however, when she caught sight of a hoodie rather than a face, and slowly she lifted her gaze up until it finally landed on Raihan’s smirking expression. Fuck. If he’d been tall before, now he was an absolute giant.

“You should be sorry. I almost didn’t see you there. It must be pretty inconvenient, being that small,” he laughed.

Her eyes narrowed, and nervousness gave way to annoyance. “Nope. I am the optimal height for a human being. You, on the other hand, have clearly hit your head on too many door frames.”

Raihan chuckled. “Damn. You wanna channel some of that fire into a battle so we can win a treat, or did you just come here to roast me?

“Let’s win ourselves a treat,” she answered.

And win they did. In a group battle with Raihan as her partner, Tori knew the restaurant owners didn’t stand a chance. They were awarded with an ice-cream sundae —and nearly got into another battle over the question of who would get the cherry.

Tori got the cherry.

“So, tell me,” the Dragon Gym Leader began smoothly, handing her a spoon and then sitting down in the seat adjacent to hers. “What has the magnificent Tori been up to all this time?”

Tori fiddled with her utensil for a bit. “I’ve been to a few different regions —catching Pokémon, training my team, doing the gym challenges. Stuff like that.”

Raihan nodded and took a spoonful of the dessert, motioning for her to do the same. “That’s cool. I can tell you’ve gotten stronger. And you have a really nice Espeon, by the way.”

“Thanks,” Tori replied, patting Espeon’s pokéball gently. “She was a gift from a breeder in Sinnoh. Of course, she was an Eevee then.”

Raihan hummed and then used his spoon to point at the Sobble napping peacefully in her lap. “And that little guy? I don’t remember him being on your team before, either.”

“Oh! He’s not on my team, really. He’s still a baby. He was a gift from Leon.”

“Ah.”

Tori quickly took a spoonful of the ice-cream in front of her, if just to give an explanation for the silence drifting between them. She knew the real reason, though.

As she and Raihan ate their way through the giant snack they’d won, she noticed the lack of fans around, and she was beyond thankful that nobody seemed to be interested enough to take photos of them together —Raihan did live in Hammerlocke, after all, so the people here were probably used to his presence to a certain extent.

When she looked back at Raihan, however, she realized that he was no longer facing her. Instead, he was twisted around in his seat as he posed in front of his Rotom Phone. Tori only had the chance to blink once in alarm before the photo was taken, and then Raihan had his phone back in his hand again, studying the picture.

“Raihan!” she snapped.

“Don’t worry,” he chuckled. “You look cute.” Her face flushed, and she was forced to look away, but Raihan wasn’t done.

“Mind if I post this?” he asked.

“If I said yes, would you even listen?” she grumbled, still refusing to look up at him.

“Of course, but I would also try to persuade you to let me post it anyway. It’s for the fans.”

She rolled her eyes. “Go ahead.”

Raihan tapped away at his phone, and Tori nudged at Sobble to wake up. The little Water Pokémon yawned and then raised his arms at her, and she picked him up gently.

“Well, I should get going,” she said, sliding out of her seat. “It was nice seeing you, Raihan.”

“Wait! Wait!” he rushed, putting away his phone to place a hand on her shoulder. “Hold up,” he said, quieter now that she had stilled. “I was hoping we could spend more time together.”

“Oh?” she said, unsure of what to make of that and whether or not she should insist on leaving. Their time together so far had gone by relatively painlessly, and it was nice to see and be with Raihan again, but she just wasn’t sure if it was worth it. She didn’t want to risk causing another rift again. Especially now, when she had just gotten back.

Better to keep things as casual and impersonal as possible if she actually wanted to stay in Galar this time.

Raihan must have seen the hesitation on her face because he too rose from his seat and gently squeezed her shoulder.

“Please,” he said. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to, but I’d love the chance to speak with you more. I know I’ve been a little distant, and maybe I went too far with the photo, but the truth is I’m just… I’m so relieved to see you again.”

She looked away for what felt like the hundredth time. “Alright,” she conceded. “Let’s go somewhere else, though.”

At first they ended up walking the streets of Hammerlocke, but there were more people interested in the pair there, so Tori quickly suggested that they head over to his gym instead. Raihan seemed fine with the idea and agreed.

When they were in his gym and away from all those eyes, Tori finally relaxed —as much as she could, anyway. Raihan led her from the entrance to his private training quarters, where he held the door for her and allowed her into the room. She walked around briefly, taking in all the training equipment and all the machines. So that was how he stayed so fit.

The room was huge, and with just the two of them in it, it felt odd somehow, and so Tori was relieved when Raihan released his team from their balls, all six of his strong Pokémon eager to be free to wander. She did the same for her team and didn’t even have time to warn Raihan before Hydreigon flew over and knocked him to the floor, purring and rumbling in delight.

“Oh my gosh, Raihan, I’m so sorry!” she shouted, hurrying over to return Hydreigon to his ball. To her surprise, though, Raihan was laughing, his face brightened with pure mirth as her Pokémon rubbed his scaly neck against his cheek, something Hydreigon only ever did to her. A slow smile formed on her lips at the sight.

Dragon Tamer, indeed.

“Aw, hey, buddy. I’ve missed you, too.” Raihan finally managed to sit up somewhat, rubbing a hand over the dragon’s snout. “Damn, he’s gotten big,” he said, looking over at Tori. “What’ve you been feeding him?”

“The exact same stuff I’ve been feeding all my other Pokémon,” she answered, tapping Hydreigon’s tail and relaxing her shoulders when he listened and pulled away. He tucked his head under her cheek like the little angel he was suddenly trying to convince her he was before he turned away to join the other Pokémon in the room.

“Well, I guess you just lucked out when you found his egg, then.”

“I’d say. But not just because he’s powerful. He’s like my child.” Tori reached down and helped Raihan up, then turned to look over his team now that she was uninterrupted. “Oh!” she said. “Your Sliggoo evolved!”

“Yeah,” Raihan said, grinning toothily. “She’s awesome.”

“I bet,” Tori beamed. “I remember when she was just a Goomy. She was so sweet.”

“Oh, she still is, but she’s a beast when it comes to battling. Speaking of,” he continued with a rakish smile. “I feel like it’s been so long since I’ve properly taken you on, Tori. How about it?”

Her first instinct was to decline. She had no desire to be completely annihilated by Raihan’s formidable team, but when she glanced over at her own Pokémon, she saw that they were clearly interested in the idea of a battle. Who was she to deny them that?

Tori sighed. “Alright,” she agreed. “But even if you win, you don’t get bragging rights.”

“Now you’re just being fucking mean,” Raihan laughed.

Raihan won. It was actually somewhat of a close battle, but when it was just Hydreigon and Flygon left to fight, Hydreigon was defeated, since he was weakened from having to knock out a perfectly healthy Duraludon prior to facing Flygon.

As she returned her fainted Pokémon to his ball, Raihan walked over to her with a big smile on his face.

“Damn, you’re amazing,” he said, and Tori blinked at him in surprise. “What?” He laughed. “Sure, _I_ don’t get bragging rights, but you never said I couldn’t brag about _you_.”

“You’re an idiot,” Tori replied, but she still couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear. “But, you’re amazing, too.”

“I know.”

She rolled her eyes.

“That was supposed to make you laugh,” he said, chuckling. “Please don’t tell me you actually think I’m that conceited.”

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “Sometimes, I think you do have a bit of an ego.”

“As opposed to who, perfect and humble Leon?”

The lightness abruptly faded from the room with that one sentence, and Tori glanced down at the floor, trying and failing to come up with something to say in response.

Raihan sighed after a moment of tense silence. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I just…” He shook his head, guilt heavy in his teal eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” she whispered. “But I should probably go.”

Raihan didn’t try to stop her this time. She walked out of the gym quietly —so quietly, in fact, that the sharp noise of the door slamming shut behind her sounded far more painful than it would have if she had been prepared for it.

At least, that’s what she told herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, let me know what you guys think! It really makes my day to read your comments! :)


	4. Mending

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oops this is even later than the other chapter. im sorry guys. college is a bitch

Tori was midway through a comfort romcom, cheek pressed into a pillow with a bag of chocolates cradled by her side when her Rotom Phone suddenly buzzed. She glanced to see who it was and then half-heartedly accepted the call.

“Hey, Sonia.”

“Hey, Tori!” The young woman’s bright face stared down at her. “Oh, wow. Someone’s looking a little down.”

Tori rubbed a hand over her face. “It’s been a long day.”

“I feel that. Buuuuut…” Sonia’s voice dipped into a lilt as she clasped her hands together and batted her lashes. “I was hoping we could see each other tonight and catch up? Girls night out?”

“I don’t know, Sonia,” Tori replied, blinking slowly. “I really am tired. I spent most of my afternoon in Hammerlocke with Raihan.”

Sonia pouted. “That’s the thing! You spent the other day with Leon, and now today you and Raihan did something together. When am I gonna get a turn, huh? Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten all the times I’ve been your safe haven when those boys were driving you up a wall?”

“I haven’t,” Tori laughed, sitting up and spilling the chocolates all over the floor. “Damn it. Oh, Sobble, no!” She quickly picked up the little water Pokémon, who had scurried over to the snacks, thinking them food for him. She placed him properly in her lap again with a sigh and then looked back up to see Sonia gazing at her with one eyebrow raised.

“I have my life together, I swear,” Tori said, and Sonia just shook her head and laughed. “Anyway, back to the question. No, I don’t think I’m up to doing anything tonight. Buuuuut…” she said when Sonia pouted again, mimicking the way she had done before. Hell, her happiness was contagious. “I can come hang out tomorrow if you’d like. Tomorrow afternoon. We can table the girls night out thing for later.”

“That works!” Sonia smiled. “See ya then!”

“See ya.”

“Oh, and Tori!”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t freak out, but Nessa told you’ve become a bit of an online sensation lately.”

Tori felt her stomach drop. She should never have agreed to let Raihan post that picture of them together. “Arceus, how bad is it?”

“I said don’t freak out! I mean, there’s photo evidence, and not just _anyone_ is seen hanging out with the Champion and the Dragon Gym Leader back to back. People are starting to notice.”

“I did the gym challenge with them!” Tori blurted, panic giving way to desperation. “It’s obvious I have previous ties to them both!”

“Not everybody does that much research,” Sonia explained gently, sensing her friend’s distress. “But it’s really not that big of a deal! You might just want to reach out and control the story before the fans start to solidify their own.”

Tori fell back against the couch with a deep sigh. “Why can’t people mind their own business?”

“Take it as a compliment!” Sonia beamed. “People think you’re interesting! True, some kinda want you dead because you’re hanging out with their celebrity crushes, but take that as a compliment, too! You should flaunt those men like I flaunt Nessa!”

“Sonia!”

“Anyway,” the orange-haired woman laughed, cheeks tinged slightly pink in glee, and Tori was grateful that at least one of her friendships wasn’t a complete mess. “I’ll let you rest. See you tomorrow!”

“Bye.”

After the call, Tori spent hours scrolling through social media, trying to assess how bad her situation was. With her day with Raihan added to the mix, people were getting more and more invested in figuring out who she really was. It wasn’t a difficult puzzle to solve, really; old photos of her during her time in the gym challenge were available online, but the people who were addressing them were far overshadowed by the fans who were hunting for a more scandalous explanation.

She was Leon’s secret girlfriend who just cheated on him with Raihan. That was why he now seemed so distant in Wyndon.

She was Raihan’s secret girlfriend who cheated on him with Leon; he just didn’t know about it yet.

Or, her least favorite yet, she was a crazy fan who had blackmailed them both into going on dates with her. Otherwise, she would have spilled sensitive information of theirs she’d obtained while _stalking_ them.

Tori pinched the bridge of her nose. This was ridiculous. At least nobody had managed to discover her account yet. For the first time ever, she was grateful for that dumb username she had picked out for herself ages ago —deinofan128. It was obscure, and nobody could really associate it with her without making a lot of assumptions.

Maybe she could just stay out of the crossfire, then.

Even as she thought it, her pessimism reminded her that so far, things had _not_ gone her way and would likely continue to do so, what with her kinda luck. With that gloomy thought, she sighed and shut off her phone, curling up on the couch with Sobble and finally drifting off into unconsciousness.

She woke to the sound of someone knocking on her door. With a groan, Tori quickly got to her feet, still only half-awake as she padded over to it. When she opened the door, however, she was suddenly all-too awake.

Raihan stood in front of her, looking unacceptably gorgeous with the glow of the sun bearing down on him, running those deep blue eyes over her smaller form in appraisal.

Tori, with her uncombed hair, ruffled clothes, and stunned expression, certainly looked the exact opposite of him. Her mouth opened, but she couldn’t find the words.

“Hey, there. Sorry to… wake you?” Raihan grinned. He seemed amused, if anything.

Tori straightened her posture and pushed her hair behind her shoulders, trying to obtain some semblance of dignity since apparently the universe really did hate her. “It’s, uh… It’s fine. What— what brings you here?”

“I wanted to talk.” The Dragon Tamer peered behind her. “Would it be alright if I came in?”

Tori hesitated for just a second, then nodded and stepped aside. She closed the door behind them and then led Raihan into the living room, where she moved aside her blanket she had been curled under moments before to make room for her guest. He sat down, and then she mumbled something along the lines of _would it be okay if I cleaned up real quick_? He just laughed and told her that it was fine.

A short while later, Tori returned to the living room, feeling slightly better now that her hair wasn’t an affront to humanity, and she was wearing a fresh set of clothes.

She walked in to find Raihan trying to console a very distraught Sobble. As soon as the Pokémon caught sight of his trainer, he scurried over to her and latched onto her leg, crying.

“Sorry,” Raihan said from the couch. “The little guy took one look at me and freaked out. I thought he’d remember me from yesterday.”

“I’m sure he does,” Tori said, picking up Sobble. “He probably just got a little nervous when I stepped out. He’s kinda sensitive about stuff like that.”

“Aww.”

Tori walked over to sit beside Raihan and then steeled herself, knowing that the real reason he had come here was about to be the subject of their conversation. She looked up at him and saw him studying her in turn, seemingly trying to gauge her expression. She glanced away.

“So, what did you want to talk about?”

Raihan sighed. “Well, first of all, I wanted to apologize again for what happened yesterday in my gym. I had no right to bring Leon up when you and I aren’t a thing, and you have no obligation to see me if it’s him you want—”

“Raihan, Lee and I aren’t—”

“Wait. I… Please, I need to say this. Even if you _don’t_ want Leon, you still don’t owe me anything, Tori. The last thing I want is for you to feel like you do. I know you take your friendships very seriously, and I know you care about your friends more than you do yourself, but for once, I want you to put yourself first. I want you to put how you feel first.”

Here, Raihan paused. Tori was watching him very closely now, eyes wide. She couldn’t believe this was what he had come here to say. To apologize, and to tell her to put herself over him…

It was… mature.

“I really care about you, Tori,” Raihan whispered. Now it seemed he was the one who was having trouble meeting her gaze. “You know that. You mean so much to me, and I truly want you in my life, even if it’s just as a friend. But I understand if you don’t want that. If you— If you want me to leave, to never message or contact you again, I’ll do that. I owe you that much. You… You _deserve_ that much, Tori.”

The room was quiet for a moment as Tori took this in. “Raihan,” she finally said. “I don’t… I could never want you to leave my life. You mean so much to me, too.” She watched as his shoulders visibly relaxed, and realized how stressed he must have been, not just while he was saying all that, but before, as well. It didn’t seem to be the kind of speech one comes up with in less than a day.

She wondered how long he had been wanting to say this.

“And I’m sorry if I made you feel like I don’t want you in my life anymore,” she continued, feeling her chest ache with a familiar pain. “I’m so sorry—”

“Don’t,” he interrupted, shaking his head. “Don’t. You’re the last person who should be apologizing. I’m the one who—”

He hesitated, and she looked to the ground. They both knew what was coming.

“Tori, if I had known you would actually do it —you would actually _leave_ — I never would have said those things to you. Hell, I should have never said them to you in the first place. I was just stupid. I was jealous, and I’m so, so sorry.”

She took a shaky inhale and squeezed her hands together, feeling wetness beginning to pool in the corners of her eyes. “It’s okay.”

“It’s not. It was never fucking okay.” Raihan sighed and leaned his elbows against his knees, rubbing a hand over his face. He looked so distraught, so unlike his usual bold, flirtatious demeanor that it left Tori startled. She had only ever seen him like this one other time, when they had last spoken, right before she had run off and left the region.

Tori felt the stab in her chest, as if she was in that day all over again, as if she were reliving it.

But it was over.

That was done.

“Alright,” she said. “It wasn’t okay. But I do forgive you, Raihan.” She reached out and placed a hand over his arm, and finally, he turned to look at her.

“I wish we could just start over,” he confessed. “Go back to the time when all that mattered was each other and the gym challenge.”

“Me too,” she said softly, then flicked her eyes downward when she felt the incriminating heat rising to her cheeks. “I… I miss you.”

The soft moment of silence that followed was interrupted when Sobble struggled in her arms a bit. Tori loosened her hold, only to watch him crawl over to Raihan, where he made some sort of chirping noise at the other trainer and then rested his head against his leg.

Tori and Raihan both chuckled.

“I guess he’s not afraid of me anymore, huh?”

“I think he’s trying to comfort you,” Tori replied, smiling.

The Dragon Tamer rubbed a finger over her Sobble’s cheek. “You don’t gotta worry about me, buddy,” he said, but he was grinning too.

Tori let out a deep breath then, one that wracked her whole body, and Raihan laughed. “I know,” he told her, despite the fact that she hadn’t said anything. “That was one hell of a conversation, especially for someone who only just woke up.”

“I’ve learned to roll with the punches,” she stated bluntly, and he laughed.

“Well, if you’re up for it, we could go get some coffee in Wedgehurst or something. I sure as hell need one.”

Tori grabbed her phone off the coffee table and checked the time. Damn, she really had slept in late. “I’d love to, Rai, but I promised Sonia I’d hang out with her today. We should definitely do that some other time, though.”

“Definitely,” Raihan nodded, standing up from the couch. “Well, I’ll get out of your hair, then. Sorry for popping by unannounced, by the way. I just… I didn’t want to leave things the way they were yesterday.”

“Yeah. I’m glad you didn’t,” Tori said with a small smile as they walked to the door. Raihan shot her a grin, waved goodbye, and then opened the door to leave, but right as he stepped outside, Tori called his name.

He turned back to face her but didn’t have time to say anything before she had run over and thrown her arms around him. Raihan stilled for a moment, taken off guard, but then she felt strong arms wrap around her, and she allowed herself to close her eyes.

He was warm and he smelled like cologne and something distinctly familiar; he reminded her of home more than her own house did.

“Thank you,” she said.

Sonia was delighted when Tori showed up at the doorstep of her lab.

“There you are! I was beginning to think you’d forgotten! Come on in! I’ve made tea.”

Tori followed Sonia, still surprised by how bright and happy the place had gotten now that she worked there instead of her grandmother. Color had been added, the sunlight was allowed in freely, and then, of course, there was Sonia’s Yamper. Tori leaned down and scratched the Pokémon behind his ears until Sonia walked over with two steaming cups of tea in her hands.

“We have so much to catch up on, Tori,” she stated seriously.

It was a very lighthearted conversation the two had, especially compared to the one Tori had been in earlier. She had asked about Nessa, and Sonia had explained that the Water-type Gym Leader was currently in Circhester, in the middle of a photoshoot session following the recent gym challenge. The way Sonia still gushed whenever she talked about her told Tori all she needed to know about how their relationship was going.

It made her happy, seeing Sonia so happy.

Now, if only Tori could get her own damn love-life straight.

As she was telling Sonia about some of the things she had done while away from Galar, she noticed her friend pull out her Rotom Phone and begin typing.

Tori hesitated, not sure if she should continue, but Sonia quickly looked up and said, “Oh, I’m listening! Just texting Leon real quick.”

“Leon?”

“Mhm! Seeing if he wants to go camping with us this weekend.”

“Oh, okay,” Tori said, looking down into her cup of tea. It took a second before Sonia’s words caught up with her. “Wait, what? Camping? Who said anything about camping?”

“I did! Just now.”

At Tori’s dumbfounded expression, Sonia laughed and then reached over and grabbed her friend’s hands in both of hers. “Oh, come on, Tori! It’ll be fun! A chance for all of us to get together as a group and relive some of those old times! Besides, you’ve looked so stressed ever since you got back! You more than anybody in our little group could use a weekend of relaxation!”

“But… Surely Leon wouldn’t have the time to…”

The sudden mischievous look Sonia gave her made Tori want to run for the hills. Literally. The hills of Postwick weren’t far; she could make it. “I told him _you_ were coming.”

“H-He wouldn’t— If he were truly busy— My presence shouldn’t—” Tori stammered, thoughts overlapping as her mind began to race.

There was a chime, and then Sonia looked down at her phone again. “He said yes! Ha! I was right!”

Oh, fuck.

“And Raihan already agreed, too! I texted him a while back while I was getting our tea!”

Oh, fuck. Oh, fuck. Oh, fuck.

“Sonia, I _really_ don’t think…” But what could she say? How could she explain the whole situation in the moments it took for Sonia to reply to Leon’s acceptance? How she could tell Sonia about all this anyway, if it would just drag her unnecessarily into something that should be dying —should be over with completely, after all these years. But no, Sonia was texting Leon, and Raihan had already agreed, and Sonia had promised them she’d be there, and Tori…

“It’s settled, then!”

Tori was absolutely fucked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the next chapter is gonna be soooo fun to write guys, lemme tell ya. let me know if you liked this one!
> 
> Edit: wait a minute guys are Raihan’s eyes blue or green?? To me they always seemed blue but now I’m seeing art in which they’re green??? Is there a general consensus or something cuz I’m very confused and I want to be accurate when writing this beautiful man


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